


Seeking Attention

by whatwasthatharry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 10:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3565568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatwasthatharry/pseuds/whatwasthatharry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn just wants to know <i>why</i> Harry faked fainting in front of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeking Attention

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for a prompt on tumblr from blainedarling.

"You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes."

Harry blinks an eye open from where he’s laying in his bunk, turning onto his side to see Zayn holding the curtain back as he looks at him with a raised eyebrow, the corners of his mouth tilted up in a gentle smirk. It’s the middle of the night, the sound of snoring and heavy breathing filling the air, as everyone else is asleep. Harry’s surprised Zayn is awake, actually, especially on a night when no one is recording and he can actually sleep like they almost never get to do.

Harry rubs a fist against his eyes as he yawns, still waking up even though he was barely asleep before Zayn’s smirking face popped in. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbles

But Harry knows  _exactly_ what Zayn is talking about.

The entire show that day Harry had been near Zayn, whether it was whispering in his ear, a hand brushing over his shoulders, a smile when they glanced at each other, anything. Harry wanted his attention the entire show, and Zayn practically ignored him. Harry doesn’t know if it was purposefully or not, but Zayn wouldn’t give him anything. And Harry doesn’t like being ignored.

Especially when it’s Zayn doing the ignoring.

Zayn, the boy he’s been half in love with since they met on the X Factor four years ago.

Zayn, the boy who doesn’t return Harry’s feelings but Harry seeks approval and attention from almost constantly anyway.

Zayn, the boy Harry wants with every fiber of his being.

So maybe he went a little over the top after the show, but it’s not really his fault. It’s  _not._ Zayn just looked so good tonight; his hair loose and falling over his face and the shaved sides practically taunting Harry to touch them and it wasn’t fair. Harry tries to keep himself in check, tries not to overdo it with Zayn.

Louis’ knows though, and so does Niall, and with some of the looks Liam gives him sometimes, he has to know too. The only one who is unaware of Harry’s feeling is  _Zayn_ and Harry knows exactly why that is – because he doesn’t feel the same.

Which is totally and completely  _fine._ Harry is wonderfully okay with that, really. Zayn can feel however he wants.

Sometimes though, sometimes Harry likes to push; he always has. His mom always yells at him for it and it gets him into trouble more times then he can count, but he does it.

He pushed Zayn that time he mimicked giving him a blowjob on stage.

He pushed Zayn with the candy thong.

He pushed Zayn when he ignored him and wrapped his arm around Liam instead, even though he’d been staring straight at him.

He pushed Zayn today, constantly touching him and breathing against him, whispering random jokes in his ear.

And nothing. Not even a hint that maybe Zayn felt the same other than an amused smile and a playful tick in his hazel eyes.

So Harry took things a step further after the show. Really, he blames the heat. Maybe it wasn’t the reason he ‘fainted’, but it made him delirious. And maybe a small part of him, okay a large part, wanted to feel Zayn’s arms around him.

After the show ended, he found himself talking to Niall, Zayn standing a little ways to the side. And he swayed a little on his feet and let his eyes flutter and fell towards Zayn.

And Zayn caught him, because of  _course_ Zayn would catch him, and Harry let himself fall limp in his arms, giving himself a brief moment of bliss of being wrapped up in Zayn’s strong arms as he hoisted him into his arms and carried him over to the couch, laying him down gently.

“You okay, Hazza?” Zayn had asked, concern in his eyes and one hand brushing through Harry’s curls as the other laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand softly.

Harry had nodded weakly, playing it up a bit, and seeing as he got Zayn to carry him back to the bus and into his bunk as he curled himself tight in his arms, Harry doesn’t regret it.

But now, a few hours later, with Zayn peeking in and looking at him with eyes that say he knows exactly what Harry did, he might feel just a tad bit embarrassed.

“Harry,” Zayn whispers, tilting his head a little. “C’mon, Haz. I’ve seen you faint for real before.”

There’s a slight blush on Harry’s cheeks.

“I wasn’t faking,” he mutters, but even to his own ears Harry knows how obvious it is that that’s a lie.

Zayn rolls his eyes and pushes the curtain further back. Harry watches him, eyes widening when he realizes Zayn is  _climbing into his bunk_.

Harry moves to make room for him without even thinking about it, and then suddenly Zayn is there, the curtain falling closed behind him and even in the dark, Harry can still make out the lines of his body. And even if he couldn’t see, he can feel him pressed up against him.

Zayn is on his side, just like Harry, head propped up against his hand. Their knees are touching and their chests are only inches away. Harry knows all he has to do is lean forward a little and he could be kissing Zayn. His breathing stutters as he realizes that, and he wonders if Zayn can hear how hard is heart is beating.

“Harry,” Zayn whispers. A soft hand is pressed to his cheek and Harry leans into the touch subconsciously, body always aching to be as close to Zayn as possible. He’s always leaned into Zayn’s touches, taking whatever the other boy will give him.

“Why’d you do it?” Zayn asks.

Harry shakes his head, but not hard enough to dislodge Zayn’s hand. “Still don’t know what you’re talking about,” he chokes out, the lie sounding even less convincing, if that was possible.

“Can you be honest with me, please?” Zayn practically pleads.

Harry stays silent for a while, biting his lip as he weighs his options. He can lie again, keep saying it until Zayn believes him or just leaves his bunk frustrated. Or he can tell Zayn the truth. But then where does that leave them? Awkward and avoiding eye contact. Zayn will pull away completely because he doesn’t feel the same. He’s also too kind so he won’t want to give Harry any misleading signals. But Harry…Harry can’t have that. Zayn is already so far from him, and if Zayn is even further away then –

“Fuck, Haz. Just tell him you love him!” Louis shouts from the bunk below and both Harry and Zayn jump.

Harry’s cheeks are warm, and he opens his mouth to curse out Louis, but Zayn is suddenly moving closer so their chests  _are_ touching and there’s a hand on his hip slowly pushes him onto his back. Harry finds himself laying on his back with Zayn hovering over him, lips dangerously close and this is the last thing Harry expected. He can’t breathe, but he finds he doesn’t want to as long as Zayn stays exactly where he is.

“Is that true?” Zayn whispers against his lips.

Harry could lie, but he doesn’t.

“Yes,” he breathes.

Before he can even finish the word, Zayn’s lips are on his and Harry breaks underneath him, giving everything he has into the kiss, because he doesn’t know what this is or what this means, but Harry will give everything to Zayn even if he gets only this in return.

“I love you, too, y’know,” Zayn hums as he breaks the kiss, nuzzling Harry’s nose with his own.

Harry swallows, tears prickling at his eyes.

“You never said anything,” he points out, happiness trying to burst through but Harry remains cautious.

“Didn’t know that you felt the same, babe,” Zayn counters.

Harry scoffs, shaking his head and glaring at Zayn. The gesture falls a little flat in the darkness, though.

“I thought I was rather obvious. Niall told me it was like I was holding a neon sign flashing “I Love Zayn Malik,” Harry murmurs, wrapping his arms around Zayn’s waist and tugging him closer.

Zayn sighs, forehead falling against Harry’s chest as he laughs a little. “You’re affectionate with everyone though, Haz. Always bouncing around and hugging people and kissing them on the cheeks.”

“Always been different with you, though,” Harry mumbles.

Zayn lifts his head, and Harry can  _feel_ his stare.

“You really love me?” he asks.

Harry sighs, hands slipping underneath Zayn’s shirt to rest in the curve of his back. “Yes. And you really love me?” Harry asks back, still completely unsure.

“Always have, babe.”

Harry makes a choked off noise in the back of his throat and he surges up to kiss Zayn, cupping the back of his neck as their tongues tangle together.

“About bloody time you two got your heads out of your asses!” Louis yells, hitting the roof of his bunk.

Harry laughs into Zayn’s mouth, and he feels Zayn’s answering smile against his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts! You can find me on [tumblr](http://www.whatwasthatharry.tumblr.com) if you want.


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